Sea to Sea
by icelandicc
Summary: She had been told that Nobodies did not have hearts. What, then, was the horrible clenching in her stomach whenever she was reminded of a shore she'd never visited? [snippets from Xion's days in the Organization]
1. I

_Sea to Sea_

 _[A/N: A LOT of headcanons that kind of ignore most of the beginning of Days, so be forewarned. Sorry for the huuuuge wait for this. I don't know how many of you actually cared and/or were waiting on this story, but to all of you regardless, I apologize and hope you'll find it good enough to compensate for the wait.]_

* * *

Thick fluid billowed around her, holding her defenseless body still. She couldn't open her eyes, she couldn't move, _she couldn't breathe._ Did she even need to?

Faintly, she could hear voices, but she couldn't ever make out what they were saying. They were too muffled, too distant.

The voice was always the same, save for two others that occasionally joined it. It was strict, and cold as ice, and it always held the same, hurried tone.

 _Who… was she? Was she even alive?_

Some life this was, floating soundlessly in an abyss, surrounded on all sides by oppressive fluids, wondering about what was to come, like she was now, even when she knew in her heart that nothing would.

It seemed like years she was left floating there, but she didn't even know how long a year was. She didn't know when a day passed outside her little world. She supposed she would never know. But one day, the voice came louder than before, and she could nearly make out what it was saying.

That was when the air came rushing at her, stale and smelling of chemicals. She gasped it in wildly, suddenly aware of the need to breathe. She'd never needed to before… why now?

Her limp form collapsed onto stone cold tile, and she found herself shivering violently. Fluid dripped from her body, which had once been immersed in it. A small sound made its way past her lips.

"It's ready, I see."

One of the two voices that often visited her echoed from what she assumed to be the entryway.

"Yes. After all that research, it's already proving to be more functional then the first one."

The icy voice that she was used to hearing.

 _Research? What does he mean?_

She gasped out again, clawing at the floor, trying to sit up.

One of the people snorted.

"It's pitiful Vexen. Look at it. We don't need another Roxas running around. That child is troublesome as it is." A smooth, heavy weight fell onto her back and she made another noise in surprise.

 _Vexen? Roxas?_

"Give it a chance Saïx. It'll shape up." The chilly voice that she now could now identify as Vexen said irritably. There was a scoff from the other person (Saïx?).

She shrugged the weight off, shakily rising into a sitting position.

"E-ennghh…" She groaned, shivering and looking up lifelessly into the frozen blue eyes of a man.

"See? I told you."

The man was grinning at another, who looked skeptical.

"Your name is Xion. Put this on." The first man, assumedly Vexen, demanded. He picked up the coat that she'd shrugged off and handed it to her. She took it in feeble fingers, dropping it on the tile floor again almost immediately.

 _Xion…?_

 _A name… what does that mean? What does a "name" do? Why does it… sound so familiar?_

"Xi… on…" The words tumbled from her lips, empty and meaningless.

Vexen blinked, and then smiled, ignoring her failure to get a grip on the leather coat.

"It can talk already!" Vexen applauded. Saïx, seemingly unimpressed, said nothing.

"Xion." She repeated numbly. Her eyelashes swept over her cheeks as she blinked; a foreign feeling. She'd never needed to open her eyes in her liquid prison.

"Yes yes, you're Xion. Can you say anything else?" Vexen prompted. She looked up hazily at him.

"R… Roxas…" she stammered.

Vexen looked ecstatic. His eyes glowed with pride.

"Its progress is truly astounding Vexen." Saïx said flatly. "Let me know when it's fit for battle; that's when I'll praise your "hard work"." Xion frowned a little, much to the delight of Vexen.

"What do you think of that man? Of Saïx?" Vexen asked guardedly after the blue-haired man had left his workspace.

"Don't…" she murmured, shocked she was able to manage anything at all. Vexen waited patiently.

"…and?"

"Don't like." She stated firmly, a pout gracing her features. Vexen's face lit up, giddiness evident.

"Developing the ability to feign emotions this early on… the boy must be influencing her in a stronger way then we imagined…" Vexen muttered thoughtfully.

He smiled and ruffled her hair. Some fell into her eyes. Black… She reached up a hand to touch it. Her fingers were still wet, and the feel of silky hair against her skin made her shiver.

Vexen went off to the other side of the room, out of Xion's vision. She clutched the black coat from the floor and raised it to her eyes. It was as cold and limp as before.

She rose to her knees unsteadily, making various noises of struggle she'd never been able to make before. They sounded strange; it had all been so consistent inside her capsule, always the same churning, with the occasional breaking of the silence by those voices.

With some difficulty, she managed to slip the coat over her head, and her arms through the sleeves. She finally got to her feet. She was a little wobbly, but aside from that, she felt fine. Good, even. She stretched her arms above her head.

Noticing the chill on her hands, legs and feet, she glanced down, wiggling her toes. The motion brought pictures flooding to her head; wet sand under her feet, white foam tickling her ankles, an impossibly bright sun slowly being swallowed by crystal waves, casting gold glimmers on the serene surface of the water.

Her eyes went wide, mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out. That beach, those waters, _why did it seem so… nostalgic? I can't explain it; but… somehow, I've been there before…_

Vexen, oblivious to her troubles, gestured expressionlessly to the door.

"Your pants, boots and gloves are over there, Xion."

Xion turned and looked, seeing said articles of clothing folded neatly at the doorframe. Slowly, she made her way over, picking them up and examining them with interest. Eventually, she figured out where each piece of clothing went, and put them on. She held out her small hands in front of her, and felt somehow that they didn't look like her own.

 _And these… gloves aren't the right color._

Surprised by her own though process, Xion merely stared at the closed door, as if expecting it to open on its own. Needless to say, it didn't. Xion gave a short sigh, and turned her attention to Vexen, who was scribbling notes in a well-thumbed notepad with intense concentration. He seemed oblivious to the world around him, so Xion decided not to bother him.

Instead she gave the handle on the door a confused look and half-heartedly tugged on the iron hold. It swung open form the force she'd used, and she dropped it in fright.

"Wh-what is…" Vexen didn't look up, oddly, and Xion went back to attempting to open the door. Eventually she succeeded.

She was looking into a hallway, walls white as crisp paper, shiny. It had a cold air about it, and Xion got the feeling it wasn't used much. Out of nowhere, a pitch black hole erupted from down the corridor, and out came a man with grey hair falling over his shoulders. He held a confident expression, and he smiled lightly when he saw her. His molten gold eyes looked almost demonic.

"Xion…" he said, calmly. His voice was deep and sultry, nothing like Vexen's or Saïx's. He radiated power.

Xion didn't know what to reply. What _could_ she reply?

So she just stared, deep blue eyes drilling holes into the man's figure. She let herself nod, as if to acknowledge his presence, and the fact that he had called her name.

The man looked almost amused.

"Come with me. It is almost time for you to be… properly introduced." Xion was intimidated by the voice that flowed smoothly like water over cut stone, so she took a few steps forwards, still silenced.

The man gestured to the gaping darkness he'd come through, seemingly asking for her to walk through. Sensing her hesitation, he held her shoulder, his hand fitting nicely around it, and guided her through the constantly shifting energy.

Xion soon found that the blackness was a way of getting around, and she emerged in a round room, lined with towering, white marble seats. Various black-coated strangers were resting upon them. The man with the grey hair was smiling eerily, and Xion noticed Vexen appear on one of the seats at that moment. Saïx was there too.

"Today we welcome one of our own, yet another favored by the keyblade; chosen to wear the coat." The man with the grey hair spoke, his voice ringing throughout the entirety of the room, silencing all chitchat that may have been going on. Every person's eyes were on her. She shivered.

"The fourteenth member."

Xion looked at her feet.

"Xion."


	2. II

"Do you really expect to win any battles like that?" Saïx's voice was mocking and demanding, tolerating absolutely no argument.

Xion growled softly, and rushed at him again, keyblade slamming against the tricolored claymore gripped confidently in his hand. He flung her away easily; with just a single practiced swing, she was lying flat on her back, keyblade clattering uselessly across to the other side of the room. She groaned.

They'd been at it for who knows how long; fighting and fighting and fighting. Frankly, Xion didn't know why she had to learn how to fight.

"The Superior will not be pleased. You haven't improved a bit since last time." Xion frowned. Xemnas, normally referred to as the Superior, as she'd found out just a little earlier in the week, was the name of the grey-haired man that she'd gone with when she had been officially named a member of the Organization.

Yes, the Organization. Organization XIII. A group assembled of Nobodies, creatures lacking in hearts and emotions, who had gathered together to regain the things they had lost. Xion didn't know why she was a member, or what she had lost that she needed to regain, but she did get a weird feeling when looking at some of the other members, so she figured there must be something that she lost, otherwise she wouldn't feel so empty.

Saïx strode over to her, looking down on her in more ways than one as she pulled herself to her feet, keyblade rematerializing in her left hand.

Hoping to catch him off guard, Xion landed a quick hit to Saïx's sword arm, and jumped backwards, battle-ready and scowling. Saïx looked at her in amusement; as though he thought it was funny she assumed she might be able to hurt him.

"You're slow. Sloppy. You'll never defeat an aggressive opponent if you don't stay on the offensive. Your recovery time is less than impressive. I could have taken you out with one hit, what with you just lying there." Xion glared harshly at the blunet, gripping the hilt of her keyblade so tightly, she was sure that under her gloves, her knuckles were white as snow.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion!" Saïx smirked.

"Opinion, you say? Hardly. Ask anyone in this castle. Skill isn't one successful hit in a battle full of failures." Xion grit her teeth angrily.

"Shut up!" She thought about rushing him again, but quickly concentrated her mind on something else. Magic. Something Larxene and Marluxia (the two seemed close; one was nearly never seen without the other) had been schooling her on a lot lately.

"Fire!" A flash of magic-induced flame shot from her left hand, doused quickly by a well-timed block from Saïx.

"Ah-ah-ah. This is a physical battle only. Magic is not allowed." Saïx kept a stoic tone and Xion bubbled over with rage.

"You know what? I'm done." She flung her keyblade to the ground; useless, because it reappeared in her hand moments later.

"You are not done until the Superior deemed you ready to take on assigned missions. You will continue your training with Axel. Go." A corridor of darkness sprouted from the corner of the room, leading assumedly to where Axel was waiting. Xion snorted, but let her keyblade disappear, and turned her back to the man, stepping fearlessly into the darkness.


	3. III

"Looks like you're with me today, Poppet." Xigbar said, stretching his arms above his head boredly. Xion said nothing.

Xigbar, ranked number two in the Organization, was taking her out on her first mission today. After long, hard training with Saïx, Xemnas had finally decided she was ready to go out on missions, whatever those were. Well, she supposed that was what Xigbar was here for.

"So, here's the deal. On missions, we take out these things called Heartless. Now, there are loads of different types of the buggers, so be careful which ones you take on. Some are resistant to magic, some have strong defense; it'll take some trial and error before you find out each one's weaknesses." Xigbar explained, looking calmly over to where three shadowy creatures had risen out of the ground, twitching. Xion frowned, frightened.

"There are a few now! Those are Shadows; Purebloods. Don't bother with them. What you really want are those." Xigbar waved a hand at a small group of colorful floating things; one was yellow, one was blue and one was red.

"See the symbols on them?" Xion looked closely, and did indeed notice a black and red seal adorning the creatures' bodies. She nodded.

"Emblem Heartless. Those are the ones you want." Xigbar summoned his twin arrowguns, and fired off three successive energy bullets. Each hit its target dead on; and three glowing pink somethings flew up towards the sky. Up, up, up; until they were out of sight, no matter how hard Xion looked.

"What were those?" she asked in confusion, still squinting at the sky. Her hand shielded the glaring sun from her eyes as she stared.

"Hearts. When an Emblem Heartless is destroyed, they release the hearts that had held. But let me elaborate." Xigbar continued. "Emblems hold hearts, Purebloods don't. That's where you and Roxas come in." Xion quirked an eyebrow.

"Those swords you two wield, keyblades, are capable of collecting those hearts. When I killed those Heartless just a minute ago, you saw their hearts fly up into the sky. If you were to have killed them, their hearts would have been added to a growing collection of hearts: Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts is what we Nobodies need to gain hearts of our own."

"So, to summarize all that, Purebloods don't hold hearts, and shouldn't been worried about. Emblems do hold hearts, but those hearts can only be collected by a wielder of the keyblade. Now that you've been trained, you'll be sent out on missions to eliminate Emblems, and collect their hearts for Kingdom Hearts." Xion nodded slowly, processing the information.

"Okay… so if I killed those… Midnights?"

"Shadows."

"So if I killed those Shadows over there, they wouldn't release any hearts?"

"Nope. None."

"But if I killed…" A Fire Plant sprang up a few feet away, bearing the Emblem crest. "If I killed that thing, with the emblem on it, it _would_ release a heart?" Xion spoke carefully, trying to confirm her suspicions.

"That's right! You're a quick learner, eh Poppet?" Xion smiled a little.

"Well? Have at it." she nodded, grateful for a little encouragement. Battle training with Saïx was "jump higher", "strike harder", "recover quicker". Xigbar wasn't anything like Saïx, Xion decided.

Summoning her keyblade and gripping it firmly in both hands, Xion leapt at the Fire Plant, swooping down on it from above like a bird of prey. The resulting "WHACK" echoed around the small, enclosed space. The clouds seemed to vibrate. It was then that Xion realized how much more comfortable she was in the air then on the ground. Her blade swung truer, and seemed to cut cleaner.

Xion landed smoothly on her feet, as though she'd been doing this all her life. A single heart drifted calmly towards the sky.


	4. IV

Xion liked this world. Neverland, it was called. The name sounded foreboding, but the nature of the place was cheery and colorful; lively. Xion found herself comparing it to the cold, stark white walls of the castle. Yes, she decided, she definitely liked this world more. Not to mention you could _fly._

After she and Demyx had spent some time gliding around merrily, the two had decided it was time to get some work done (or at least, Xion had decided it was time to get some work done) and had headed off towards an empty clearing dotted with patches of sparkling grasses.

Demyx plucked a few strings on his sitar, weaving together an enchanting melody that lured several watery doppelgangers out of the ground. They danced around Demyx in time to his strums. Xion herself was starting to feel a little drowsy, wanting nothing more than to join the odd clones in their rhythmic caper. The air around her was stifling and hard to breath.

Demyx grinned suddenly, and dropped the tune, letting the water seep back into the ground.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Xion blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the weird feeling. She then nodded and smiled broadly.

"Yeah! How did you do it?" Xion looked eager. Demyx was pleasantly surprised to be paid positive attention.

"Well, I control water by using this instrument. A sitar. I can make clones of myself out of moisture in the air, and control them." Xion reasoned that must have been the reason the air had tasted so stale and dry a minute ago, when Demyx had been using his powers.

"Whoa… can I do that?"

"I dunno; what element do you control?" Xion was stumped. What element _did_ she control?

"I… don't know. How do I find out?" Demyx thought for a moment.

"Try… try thinking really hard about what you're the best at! Worked for me. I used to be really good at swimming, back when I was a human. I competed too. I also liked music, although I never actually learned to play anything. But anyway, I focused on that, and that's when this baby appeared!" Demyx stroked the handle of his sitar fondly. Xion took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and searched her mind for a talent specific to her.

 _What can I do, better than anyone else?_

Xion didn't know what it was that she'd thought of that sparked the reaction, but out of nowhere, brilliant columns of light burst up around her, fanning outward and blinding poor Demyx who'd been gaping at her, awe-struck.

"That was AWESOME!" Demyx shouted excitedly after the light had faded, leaving Xion standing unsteadily in the center of the clearing. She grinned in an unsure kind of way.

"Really? It was?" Demyx nodded fiercely.

"Heck yeah! So what if you can't make clones if you can do _that!_ " Demyx bunched his hands into fists and slung an arm around Xion's shoulders. She stiffened up a little.

"So… should I just practice that more? Is that my training for today?" Demyx laughed a little too quickly.

"Yep! Just keep on keeping on and we'll have that rad move perfected in no time at all!" He smiled. Xion nodded a little skeptically, but motioned for him to head over to the other side of the clearing so he wasn't caught in the beams of light again. Demyx complied.


	5. V

"So I just… read?" The grey-blue haired male aside her nodded.

"Yeah. You… you do know how to read, right?" Xion nodded hesitantly.

"I don't remember learning, but I know how…" Zexion narrowed his eyes, but not as though he thought she was suspicious.

"Alright. That's good. Just… start reading and keep reading until you finish it." Zexion nudged a thick, well-worn leather bound book in her direction. She took it slowly.

After about twenty minutes, Xion had gotten through around two of the fifty-three chapters the book contained. Her neck hurt from staring down at the pages and her eyes were watering due to the dusty, dry atmosphere of the library. Frankly, she was bored.

She glanced at Zexion, who was still deeply engrossed in his book.

 _How can he stay that focused on a book for that long?_

Xion sighed, and attempted to drown herself in the sea of words spread out before her on coffee-stain colored pages.

Zexion looked up at her as she released aforementioned noise, apparently not as deep into his book as Xion had assumed. Xion whipped her head up at the rustle of paper as Zexion closed his book.

"That's enough for now-"

"N-no! I'm still good!" Xion sputtered in a panic. Zexion stared her down evenly. Xion gulped.

"No. You're not. We're done for today." Zexion took the book from her hands, dog-earred the page and set it down on top of his own on the wooden table beside him.

"So, what did you learn from the book so far?" Xion learned at this moment that she didn't like being put on the spot. She was tongue-tied.

"U-um, the O-Organization was founded by Xemnas, who gather together the strongest of Nobodies who were able to take human form, in order to attempt to regain ou-our hearts by completing an entity known as Kingdom H-Hearts, which holds all the hearts of people and of the worlds. …right?" she stammered, unsure. Zexion blinked.

"I… honestly didn't think you'd gather that much only from what you've read up to now. I'm impressed." Xion was glowing with pride on the inside but only managed a small smile outwardly.

"Th-thank you…" Zexion smiled softly in return.

"It's no big deal." Zexion paused. "…I hear the Superior wants you. You should go." Zexion excused himself quickly, obviously not liking extended interaction with other members. He left through the double white marble doors. Xion summoned a portal to the Superior's office and stepped through quietly after noticing that Zexion's book was gone from the table with a smile.

* * *

Xemnas tapped a boot impatiently on the cold marble floor of his quarters. A portal finally appeared in the corner of the room and Xion stumbled through ungracefully.

"Su-Superior…" She murmured, smoothing down her coat nervously. "Sorry I'm late, I was just-"

Xemnas shushed her by clearing his throat. Xion stopped short. He looked her up and down with a critical eye, paying close attention to the noticeable muscle she'd built up on her arms and legs, visible even under the somewhat oversized leather coat. She no longer held a dead look in her eyes, but a fiery one instead.

"XIV. As of this moment, you are now permitted to go on missions. I've been watching your training recently, and I now believe you are ready to take on real assignments for the Organization." Xemnas stated monotonously, before adding: "That is all." Xemnas propping an elbow on his desk. Xion's eyes lit up with surprise and excitement.

"Alright!" She cheered, but quickly covered with: "I-I mean, thank you, Superior." A short bow and a quick smile and she disappeared through the corridor again. Xemnas let a small smile come to his face.

 _She really doesn't have a clue._


	6. End

"A mission with Roxas?" Suddenly feeling rather self-conscious, Xion pulled her hood up to cover her face. There was something about that boy, Roxas, that… scared her? No, that wasn't the right word. She was in awe of him, more like. She felt the urge to impress him, and show him that she was a good keyblade-wielder like he was. He was her superior after all.

Axel noticed this right off the bat.

"Hey, Xion, there's no reason to be nervous! Roxas is a nice guy, though a little thick at times." Axel laughed and Xion smiled, but didn't take off her hood.

"But anyway, your mission is in Twilight Town, so it shouldn't be too difficult. You know the layout, I take it, having been there for training before." Xion did.

"It's just you've gotta take out a few Emblems with Roxas and RTC. Simple as that! Easy peasy, no problem. piece of cake! Right?" Axel drew out the explanation, hoping for a response.

"Y-yeah, I guess."

"See? You'll do fine!" Axel gave her a reassuring smile. Xion appreciated it.

* * *

 _[A/N: well, that's that folks! This is basically where the headcanons end and the story catches up to canon, starting with Roxas' and Xion's first mission together. I hope you've enjoyed this long-awaited story! Once more, I apologize for the wait, I was wading deep in writer's block but finally managed to churn the rest of this out. Thanks for sticking with me!]_


End file.
